Bourbon Peach and Pretzel Ice Cream with Caramel

No-churn homemade vanilla bean ice cream that can be made with or without an ice cream maker. Rich and creamy ice cream base is swirled with bourbon peach compote, homemade salted caramel, salty pretzels.

Um hello summer! There is no better way to celebrate long sunny days than with fistfuls of ice cream so here we are again with another new NO CHURN ice cream recipe for you! I love making ice cream, it’s a fondness I developed working in pastry kitchens where almost any plated dessert can be elevated with a cool, creamy component. I love that ice cream is so versatile. A simple anglaise base can be steeped with literally any flavor your heart desires (I’m serious, there is an ice cream shop on our block with mushroom ice cream on the menu) and you can mix in whatever you like. Always in the words of our culinary queen Ina Garten, how easy is that?

Today’s ice cream screams summer—it’s filled with a bourbon peach compote, swirled with homemade salted caramel, and studded with salty, crunchy, pretzels for the most July vibe around. So let’s jump in!

how to make homemade salted caramel

Once you get over the slight anxiety that cooking sugar can produce, caramel is actually pretty simple and it’s something that can always find a home in your refrigerator. For this recipe, we’re making a wet caramel, which means a bit of water is added along with the sugar. This makes it a little more difficult to burn and crystallize. We are also adding lemon juice, which in the pastry world is called a ‘doctor’ and it too gets in the way of sugar crystallization. Sugar, water, and lemon juice are simmered WITHOUT STIRRING until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to turn a bit golden. At this point, you are allowed to gently slosh the pan around to ensure even cooking. We’re going to continue to cook the caramel until it’s a deep amber color, remove it from the heat and whisk in some heavy cream. Cook it for one more minute and then add the butter and a pinch of salt. Let it cool completely and then drizzle it over everything or just eat it by the spoonful.

how to make bourbon peach compote

Compotes are a fun, easy way to use up fruit that has started to lose its glamour. Slightly softened peaches, strawberries a little past their prime, plums with a couple of bruises—they can all benefit from the compote treatment. A compote is simply fruit cooked in a syrup, and it is different from a jam in that the fruit usually stays in whole or larger pieces. For this recipe, I wanted a very peach-forward ice cream situation so I sliced my peaches in wedges. Martin told me that this was too peachy for him and he would have preferred his peaches cut into smaller cubes, so please feel free to cut your peaches any way you would like. Whatever your peach sizing preference, pop them in a pot with a little brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt and cook them down low and slow for about 40 minutes until they are all slouchy and syrupy and soft. Toss in some bourbon and call it a day. Cool them and store them in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week.

P.S. This will make more compote than you need for the ice cream so you can spoon the rest over waffles or pancakes or top your ice cream with even more compote…no one is judging you around here.

making ice cream without an ice cream maker (or with because you can do both)

I’ve already written quite a bit on making ice cream without an ice cream maker and this blog post is getting a little long and clunky, so I’ll keep it short and sweet today. (If you’d like to real a whole long spiel, check out all of my other ice cream recipes here.)

To make homemade ice cream, we start with a creme anglaise base. This is simply a cooked custard thickened with egg yolks that we flavor and chill. Once the anglaise is very cold, we are able to whip it until its thick and fluffy and has medium peaks. All of our goodies are either folded in or layered on top and it takes an overnight freeze in a loaf pan or baking dish. That’s it!

*If you’d like to make this with an ice cream maker, simply make the anglaise base and then follow the instructions for churning on your ice cream maker.

bourbon peach compote

peach swirled ice cream

no-churn ice cream

Yield: one quart of ice cream

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Bourbon Peach and Pretzel Ice Cream with Caramel

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 14 HourTotal time: 15 H & 15 M

No-church homemade vanilla bean ice cream that can be made with or without an ice cream maker. Rich and creamy ice cream base is swirled with bourbon peach compote, homemade salted caramel, salty pretzels.

Ingredients

for the caramel

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Pinch of salt

for the bourbon peach compote

• 2 lbs fresh peaches
• 2/3 cup (142 g) brown sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp bourbon

for the ice cream

• 2 cup (460 g) heavy cream
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp vanilla bean powder or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup pretzels, crumbled
• 3/4 cup-1 cup bourbon peach compote, recipe included
• 1/4 cup caramel, recipe included

Instructions

to make the caramel

1. Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Gently jostle the saucepan so that all of the sugar is moistened, but do not stir.
2. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the caramel begins to turn golden in color. Swirl the saucepan gently, and then continue to cook until caramel is a deep amber color.
3. Remove from heat and gradually stream in heavy cream, whisking continually. When all of the cream has been added, return caramel to heat and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
4. Remove caramel from heat again and stir in butter and salt. Let cool completely.

to make the bourbon peach compote

1. Thinly slice peaches* and place in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until peaches are broken down and syrup has thickened. Stir in bourbon and let cool completely.
3. *If you’d prefer to dice peaches instead of slicing, that works too! It’s personal preference when it comes to size.*

to make the ice cream base

1. Place heavy cream in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until cream is beginning to bubble around the edges of the pan and is hot to the touch.
2. While the cream is heating, whisk together salt, vanilla powder, egg yolks, and sugar in a large bowl. When the cream is hot, slowly stream it into the egg mixture, whisking continually the whole time. Transfer the entire mixture back into the saucepan and return to heat.
3. Cook, stirring continually with a wooden spoon, over low-medium heat until anglaise sauce is thickened, but do not bring to a boil. You can test if the sauce is ready by wiping your finger through the sauce along the back of the wooden spoon. If the line your finger creates holds, the sauce is ready. If it drips, continue cooking.
4. When the sauce is sufficiently thickened, strain into a large mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
5. Whipping and chilling: When the anglaise sauce is cold, transfer to a mixer and begin whipping. Whip until soft peaks form and then return to the refrigerator.

to assemble the ice cream

1. Place the whipped cream anglaise in a large bowl. Gently fold in 1/2 cup of the bourbon peach compote and 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels.
2. Pour half of the mixture into a 9x5” loaf pan. Smooth the top into an even layer. Drizzle half of the caramel on top and swirl with a knife or a skewer. Dollop a few tablespoons more of the peach compote on top and another handful of crushed pretzels.
3. Pour the rest of the ice cream into the pan and repeat with the remaining caramel, peach compote and pretzels.
4. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream and then wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze overnight (or for 8-12 hours).

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Blueberry Basil Breakfast Cake

A simple buttermilk and blueberry snack cake recipe served with honey yogurt. A quick and easy summer dessert recipe for all of your backyard barbecues.

blueberry basil breakfast cake, sliced

I love you guys, but you aren’t the most helpful bunch when helping me with recipe ideas. Last week, I had a bunch of juicy little blueberries in my fridge so I took an Instagram poll asking if you’d like to see a snack cake recipe or a scone recipe with them. It was a real nail-biter and when I started planning the recipe out, snack cake was winning by five votes. By the time I finished photographing, scones had taken over. It was too late so this week, you are getting a snack cake recipe and I’m back to work in the kitchen for those scones.

what exactly is a snack cake?

Besides being my very favorite category of baked goods, what makes a snack cake a snack cake? While there isn’t a completely definitive answer for this question, the general consensus is that a snack cake is a simpler-style cake. (If you’re interested in reading what a bunch of pastry chefs consider a snack cake, check out this article). For my personal definition, snack cake criteria is as follows: single layer, made with simple pantry ingredients, easy mixing method (this means blending method with liquid fat or creaming method with solid fat). Whatever the official definition, they are simple and they are delicious and I love them. I’m calling this specific snack cake a ‘breakfast cake’ because it tastes a bit like a muffin and gives me permission to eat it for breakfast.

blueberry basil breakfast cake, sliced and plated with honey yogurt

how to make (and adapt) a blueberry basil breakfast cake

This cake is easy-peasy and is endlessly adaptable based on whatever fresh fruit you have on hand. To start, basil leaves are rubbed into sugar which breaks them down and releases all of the oils inside. Then the sugars are whisked together with your standard dry ingredients (flour, leaveners, salt) + a little semolina flour. I love using semolina flour to give a coarser texture to baked goods, but you could very easily substitute this with cornmeal or even another flour, like spelt or rye. Or just use more all purpose—I told you this cake was adaptable.

For the wet ingredients, we are using melted butter (you can brown it for an extra oomph of flavor), vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk for extra tenderness. Wet ingredients are whisked into the dry to create a thick batter and then fresh blueberries are folded in. The whole thing gets topped with more fresh blueberries and a layer of crunchy demerara sugar before baking. I like to serve this cake with sweetened yogurt, but you could use whipped cream or ice cream if you prefer. It’s also great plain with a giant cup of coffee.

a piece of blueberry basil breakfast cake

Yield: serves 8

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Blueberry Basil Breakfast Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

A simple buttermilk and blueberry snack cake recipe served with honey yogurt. A quick and easy summer dessert recipe for all of your backyard barbecues.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (80 g) semolina flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (54 g) brown sugar
• 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (230 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp demerara sugar
• 1/4 cup plain whole milk greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the chopped basil leaves and use your fingers to rub the basil into the sugars until fragrant and combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, semolina flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugars/basil and whisk until combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth and homogenized.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk until no dry spots remain and you have a thick, smooth batter. Add 3/4 of the blueberries, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in until evenly dispersed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the remaining blueberries and demerara sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until deeply golden brown and the center of the cake is no longer wiggly. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
7. To serve: whisk together yogurt and honey. Add a dollop of honey yogurt on each slice of cake and serve immediately.

Notes:

This cake is endlessly adaptable. Substitute any summer berry you have on hand!

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Double Strawberry Galettes

Farmer’s market strawberries are tucked into homemade pie crust to make these miniature double strawberry galettes. Serve with macerated strawberries and vanilla ice cream for an easy, summer dessert.

Galettes are my very favorite summer dessert and I don’t care who knows it!

As I was brainstorming for this recipe, I had a bit of a culinary revelation. Galettes are best in the summer and pies are best in the fall—here is why. In the summer, fruit is amazing! We have bright, juicy berries, plump peaches, dark plums, sweet (and tart cherries). We get blessed with nature’s candy for a few months out of the year and I don’t want to do anything to cover up those flavors. This is where galettes come in. In the galette application, pie crust is basically just there to be a convenient vessel for piles of fruit. It’s crispy and buttery and complementary, but doesn’t take away from the main event.

Pies on the other hand, are where you want a lot of crust. In my humble opinion, fall and winter fruits need a bit of support to shine. Apples are always better basted with spices and pears like to be poached in wine. They need the tender layers of a pie crust to help round everything out.

Anyway, that’s my little speech and it might be a hill I’m ready to die on. You probably won’t catch me making any pies this summer, but galettes will be plentiful.

how to make homemade flaky pie crust

Making a good homemade pie crust is fairly simple, but needs practice. I follow Erin McDowell’s general pie technique and have found it works perfectly every time. Here’s how it works:

1. Toss together your dry ingredients. I like to use a blend of all purpose flour and cake flour because I find it gives a little extra flakiness. You could also use 100% all purpose, or 100% pastry flour, no problem. There’s also a little salt and a little sugar added.

2. Add cubed cold butter. I follow two steps when adding the butter. First, I add all of the butter cubes to the bowl and gently toss it with my fingers so that each piece of butter gets dusted in flour. Then, using my thumbs and forefingers, I flatten each butter cube. When all of the butter has been flattened, I use my finger tips to gently break the pieces down until they are the size of large peas or black beans.

3. Add the ice water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and drizzle in a few tablespoons of ice water. Most pie recipes call for a range of water to be added—always start on the low end and add more if needed. Toss gently with your fingertips, just to hydrate the dough and then begin to knead gently, adding more water if needed. The dough is ready when you can squeeze a clump in your hand and it stays together when you open your hand.

4. Wrap and chill. Turn your crumbly dough onto a work surface and use the heel of your hand to gently press it into a disc. Your disc should have no dry pockets of flour and you should still be able to see pieces of butter threaded throughout. Wrap it tightly and chill it for at least an hour. Most doughs shrink because they haven’t been sufficiently chilled so give it some time—overnight is best.

tips for making the best summer fruit galettes

I used the most beautiful farmer’s market strawberries for this recipe, but the best thing about galettes is that you can use any fruit you’d like! Here are some tips to make your galettes shine every time.

• Taste your fruit! Natural sweetness varies from fruit to fruit, so taste yours and then adjust the amount of sugar accordingly. In my personal opinion, not much is needed so I usually start with a tablespoon and then add more if needed.

• Add a bit a of cornstarch. Galette juices can be a bit runny, so adding a teaspoon or so of cornstarch will help thicken things up.

• Save some macerated fruit for topping. That’s where the double strawberry part comes in for this recipe. Reserve some of the macerated fruit and spoon it on top of your galettes (along with ice cream) for maximum summer fruit flavor!

Yield: one large galette (9") or four individual galettes

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Double Strawberry Galettes

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 2 Hour

Farmer’s market strawberries are tucked into homemade pie crust to make these miniature double strawberry galettes. Serve with macerated strawberries and vanilla ice cream for an easy, summer dessert.

Ingredients

for the pie crust

• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (82 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (70 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold
• 4 tbsp of ice water

for the strawberry galettes

• 1 batch pie dough, recipe included
• 1 lb fresh strawberries
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• Egg wash
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar

Instructions

to make the pie crust

1. Cube butter and place in a bowl in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cake flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Add the butter cubes to the bowl with the dry ingredients and toss them to coat. Using your thumbs and forefinger, flatten each butter piece and begin to work them into the dough until they are the size of black beans. When all of the butter has has been broken dough, make a well in the center of the bowl.
4. Add 3 tbsp of ice water to the bowl and use your fingertips gently toss the mixture until combined. Begin gently kneading the dough, taking care not to overwork it, and adding another tablespoon of water if needed. To test if the dough is moist enough, grab a handful and squeeze it together. If the dough stays clumped together when you open your hand, your dough is ready. If not, add a bit more water and knead a little more.
5. Turn your dough onto a clean work surface and use the heel of your hand to continue gently kneading until there are no more dry patches of flour, but streaks of butter are still visible.
6. Press dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.
7. When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured work surface until it is about 1/4” thick.
8. If making one large galette: roll the dough into a circle, roughly 10” in diameter.
9. If making miniature galettes: use a ring or cake pan to cut four 6” circles out of the dough.
10. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and return to the refrigerator until you are ready to fill and bake.

to make the galettes

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Remove the green stems from the strawberries and quarter them. Place berries in a large bowl and toss with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice until all of the berries are well-coated. Let rest for 15 minutes.
3. For one large galette: Spoon half of the berry mixture onto the center of your prepared pie crust, leaving at least 1” border around the edge. Fold the edges of the galette up and over the fruit and press to seal. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
4. For miniature galettes: Spoon about 1/4 cup of berry mixture into the center of each pie crust and fold the edges up and over the fruit. Press to seal and then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
5. Bake the galettes for 25-28 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown and the fruit mixture is bubbling.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Serve with vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of the remaining macerated berries.

Notes:

You can substitute any summer fruit that you enjoy in place of strawberries. I recommended tasting your fruit and then adjusting the sugar levels based on the natural sweetness of your fruit.

Pie crust can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer for up to a week or in the freeze for 3 months.

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